BREAKING: Jury convicts Robby Alan Beasley of double murder

LAKEPORT -- A Lake County jury convicted Clearlake resident Robby Alan Beasley of two counts of first-degree murder Thursday for the slayings of a Maine couple almost three years ago.

The six women and six men reached unanimous decisions after deliberating for a little more than half a day.

Beasley, 32, showed little emotional reaction as the court clerk read the verdicts Thursday afternoon at the Lake County Courthouse.

In total, jurors found Beasley guilty of three felonies and determined three special allegations were true. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for the special circumstance allegation of committing multiple murders.

The former Maine resident denied wrongdoing, and his defense counsel pointed to an alleged accomplice as the killer.

The prosecution argued Beasley shot Frank and Yvette Maddox in a turnout on Morgan Valley Road in Lower Lake and left their bodies unburied at the bottom of an embankment below the rural road Jan. 22, 2010.

The decomposing remains of Frank Maddox, 32, and his wife Yvette, 40, were found almost six weeks later.

Deputy district attorney Art Grothe argued Beasley killed the Maddoxes after suspecting they stole marijuana from his apartment. The defendant reportedly recruited the couple to work on a Lower Lake pot grow run by his childhood friend, Elijah Bae McKay, in October 2009.

McKay, 30, of Lower Lake was the key prosecution witness, telling jurors Beasley admitted details about the slayings. He also testified that he gave Beasley the handgun used in the killings and helped destroy evidence afterward.

McKay also faces murder charges stemming from the Maddoxes' deaths. His case is on a separate track, as he has yet to have a preliminary hearing.

In addition to the murder counts, the jury convicted Beasley of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

His sentencing is set for Jan. 8 in Lake County Superior Court, Department 3 before Judge Andrew S. Blum.

Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636, ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com. Follow trial coverage live on Twitter, @JeremyDWalsh or #RobbyBeasley.